


The Old Hometown and Streets I Knew

by Geonn



Category: Sanctuary (TV)
Genre: Angry Sex, Condoms, Dark, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-23
Updated: 2011-12-23
Packaged: 2017-10-27 23:08:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/301058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Geonn/pseuds/Geonn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He was told he was leaving the world he knew behind. If only that was true.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Old Hometown and Streets I Knew

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lopaka_Tanu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lopaka_Tanu/gifts).



Later on in the evening, after the last thread was tied up, Will had almost made a clean escape. He was almost to the door when he heard Joe behind him. Innocuous, innocent, a request from a coworker and nothing more. "How about a drink?"

Will's hand was on the door, ready to push back out into the night. For a second he considered pretending he hadn't heard. Just keep going and slip back into the secretive world of the Sanctuary. But instead he turned around and agreed. "Sure. Why not."

They ended up at a hole in the wall not far from the precinct, not really speaking or acknowledging each other's presence. Will listened to the other patrons and tried to figure out their stories by watching them in the mirror behind the bar. Some people made up stories; Will usually came up with the truth.

The blonde a few feet away, for instance, was nervous and constantly checked the door to see if someone had arrived. Her right hand kept drifting toward the third finger of her left, and she would stop herself before she could touch the ring that was missing. A man with salt-and-pepper hair entered the bar and a range of emotions crossed her face: elation, guilt, desire, and self-loathing. They were all gone in an instant, and she moved to greet the man with whom she was cheating on her husband.

After an unspoken interval, Joe got up and moved toward the back of the bar. Will watched him go and then, after one more drink, followed him. The music was loud, and the conversation was louder. Joe found the back exit and slipped outside. Will found him leaning against the brick wall, hands in the pockets of his slacks. He was still dressed for work, his tie removed and stuffed into the pocket of his shirt. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, and he was looking up at the windows of the apartment building next to the bar.

Will stood a few feet in front of him in a similar stance. He felt like Alice, popping out of Wonderland to see just how mundane the real world was. Old City was dreary. Dull, damp, gray, gloomy. New City wasn't much better; it just had a better veneer covering its scars.

"Thanks for your help back there."

"Don't mention it." Truthfully Magnus had done most of the work but as far as Joe was concerned it had been a solo effort by the department's most infuriating consultant. It was a "weird one," as Joe liked to call them. Four bodies found clustered in the center of a one-room apartment, with blood sprayed on every horizontal surface. According to the crime scene unit, there was no way a killer could have gotten out of the room without leaving some sort of evidence in the blood.

Will had brought in Magnus, who determined it was the work of a rare Abnormal. The human "victims" were shells, constructed for the sole purpose of incubating the larval form of the creature. It hatched violently and left the shells behind to decompose naturally. Normally they did this in discreet places like caves or abandoned sewers. She told him to warn the medical examiner that the bodies would be reduced to bare components within the next forty-eight hours.

Joe accepted the non-solution with his normal aplomb. He accused Will of covering something up, asked again whose pocket he was in, and then threw his hands in the air and cursed under his breath. "One of these days, Zimmerman. One of these days you're going to come clean, and I'll be there. Count on it."

Now the silence stretched between them. Will couldn't even really have said what they were to each other. Friends? No. Not even coworkers anymore. Joe had never respected Will's contribution to cases, but at least he'd accepted the results. Whatever got an arrest, whatever got a big CLOSED written on the side of a case file.

Finally, Will made a move. "I should probably get back."

"Your mysterious benefactor has you on a pretty tight leash, huh?"

"I just don't like standing in alleys having awkward silences."

Joe chuckled. "Must be why I haven't seen you in... what, three years? It's like you dropped off the face of the planet, Zimmerman."

"You stopped calling. I figured you were glad to be rid of me and the bullshit that got me kicked out of the agency."

"Yeah." Joe chuckled quietly, and it turned into a full-fledged laugh. He rubbed his forehead and then pushed a hand through his hair. Will noticed it had turned more salt than pepper in the past few years. He thought back to long nights sitting in the bullpen, lights out all around Joe's desk, and then Joe would come trudging back in from some interview room or some holding cell and toss his files down almost in defeat.

The exhausted "We got him" from Joe was as close as Will ever got to any kind of gratitude. He would just nod, slap his hand on the desk, and stand up to leave. He almost never made it to the door before Joe would say, "Let me buy you a drink. Or at least drive you to the bus stop."

And now, in the present, they had slipped back into those roles as easily as if they'd never stopped. Joe seemed to be remembering the same ritual. "If you have to go, you should probably go."

Will considered it. Escape sounded good right about then. "Can you get home?"

Joe grunted. "If not I'll call... I'll call someone."

Will watched him for a moment, the sway in his stance and his reduced breathing. Seven breaths per minute. He touched Joe's cheek and, before his hand was swatted away, confirmed that his skin was clammy. "You're drunk."

"You would be, too."

"There are no villains this time, Joe. You just have to accept that."

Joe suddenly snapped, "Because you say so? Because you swept in and saved the day?"

"Swept in? You called me."

"Yeah. I call you because my back is up against the wall. And you wonder why I treat you like shit. Your being here means that I'm not up to snuff and I needed help."

Will laughed without humor. "Really? Your ego is that fragile that my mere presence--"

"Shut up." He pushed off the wall and started walking. "You want to drive me home? Fine. Drive me home."

Will followed Joe down the alley. It was hard to believe how recently his life had been like this. A small apartment, a few random 'oddball' cases, drinks, and an argument with Joe. The subject of the fight changed, but the context was usually the same. Resentment, frustration, indignation. He got to the car and unlocked the passenger side door, walking around the front to get behind the wheel. Joe was slumped with his head against the window, and Will checked to make sure he was still awake before he started the engine.

"Just drive, Doc."

"Right." Will sighed and shook his head. "Good to be back..."

The drive was silent. Will saw the buildings they passed as either dark monoliths shrouded in shadows that hid past crime scenes. _Family of four, killed by the wife's first husband_ on the right. _Drunk pushed his kid out of the fifth story window, blamed it on an intruder_ was at the corner by the park. Who would have guessed joining the Sanctuary would introduce him to a better kind of monster?

Will parked and Joe climbed out of the passenger seat. They didn't confer; they simply walked to the front of the building together. Joe punched in his code and led Will up the stairs. Maybe it was easier not to talk about it. It was easier to deny as a drunken mistake if they both just accepted it as such. Will stuck his hands in his pockets and looked at his shoes as he waited for Joe to unlock the apartment door and they both walked into the apartment.

"You okay?" Joe asked.

"Yeah. You?"

The full-length windows at the opposite side of the apartment were sheathed in blue-white curtains, and Will saw Joe's silhouette against the fabric like a construction paper cutout. He nodded.

Three years since Joe last called him for help. Longer than that since he'd been in this apartment. Joe reached out and touched Will's chest, rubbing the front of his shirt as if checking to make sure he was still there. The hand moved to his neck and his fingers tightened almost painfully. Will didn't mind. He let himself be pulled forward, and his arms slipped under Joe's arms automatically as their lips met.

Joe breathed in deeply through his nose, and it sounded like a gasp of shock or surprise. Will closed his eyes and flattened his hands to Joe's shoulders, pulling him closer until even light couldn't pass between them. Joe gripped the collar of Will's shirt and parted his lips with a determined thrust of his tongue. Will accepted it, and accepted the way Joe turned them both. He was pressed against the wall, left gasping when Joe broke the kiss and smoothed the material of Will's shirt with his palms.

"Been a long time."

Will could only smirk. "I still remember the steps."

"Seem to, anyway." He reached down, their hips still pressed together as Joe fumbled with his belt. He could feel Joe's cock growing against his, but he kept his hands on Joe's shoulder as his pants were undone. Joe grunted triumphantly as he got the belt open, dragging down the zipper and fishing inside. Will closed his eyes and rocked his head back against the wall. Joe stroked him, guiding his erection out through the fly and backing up to give it room to breathe.

Joe kissed him again before he dropped to his knees. Will looked down, his eyes now adjusted to the darkness. He could see things in tones of black and white, his clothes appearing charcoal while his cock looked like marble. Joe stroked him once, twice, and then took the tip into his mouth. He wet it with a sweep of his tongue, pulling back to grip the head and spread the moisture down the length of his shaft. Joe ran his tongue along his bottom lip and guided Will's cock back to his mouth.

Will closed his eyes and moved his hips in the rhythm that Joe established. Joe formed a ring with his forefinger and thumb, stroking from the base up to his mouth. Will heard the rasp of a zipper a moment before Joe stood up, kissing him again. Will's hand searched blindly and found Joe's erection. They shifted their hips as Will's tongue explored Joe's mouth. It tasted of the cheap beer they had just shared at the bar. Will cupped his hand, guiding his cock forward until Joe's was alongside it. He closed his fingers, holding them both, and Joe began to thrust.

"God... damn it," Joe muttered.

"Don't come yet," Will said.

"I won't. Just... been a while."

"You said that."

"Shut up, Doc." He kissed Will to ensure he complied, still moving his hips so that their erections could rub deliciously together. Will wouldn't have blamed Joe for being close; he was only just holding off his own orgasm. Joe pulled back and looked down at Will's fist. "Not yet. Come on. Come with me."

They pulled away from each other and Joe headed around the corner without checking to see if Will was following. Will unbuttoned his shirt to let the two halves flap around him like flags. When they got to Joe's bedroom, Joe stood next to the door and undid the buttons on his sleeve cuffs. He ran his eyes down Will's chest, running up and down at least once before he jerked his head toward the familiar bed.

"Undress. Over there."

Will turned and backed toward the bed so they wouldn't lose eye contact. His shirt fluttered to the ground, and he bent at the waist to push his pants off. His shoes and socks went next and, when he straightened, he was nude. He gripped his cock and stroked, keeping it erect as Joe finished undressing as well. His cock stood straight away from him, curved slightly upward in the middle of the shaft so that it seemed to be straining toward Will.

He remembered the first time he'd seen it, the first time he'd ever seen another man's aroused penis in real life. It was the bar's bathroom, following a dramatic shouting match over Will's "guessing" and Joe's "laziness." Will could never figure out how exactly things had deteriorated. He knew the line between aggression and arousal was frighteningly thin. They ended up in a stall, and Will was certain one of them would end up bloody.

He ended up on his knees, Joe's cock brushing wetly against his cheek before he guided it into his mouth. He took Joe's come, swallowing as much as he could and inelegantly choking on a lot of it. Joe reciprocated with a hand job in Will's car, which Will caught with a handkerchief. After that, red-faced and panting, their anger had dissipated. They felt like they could stand being in each other's presence, which meant that Joe was less reluctant to call Will for the next consultation.

It caused fewer problems than pummeling each other bloody every time they crossed paths, that was for damn sure. And neither of them would admit how much they enjoyed the time together.

Joe was stroking his cock, the lamplight shining off his chest and legs as he stepped forward. "On the bed."

Will looked at the nightstand, turned around, and crawled onto the bed. Joe put a hand on Will's back, near the spine, and stroked downward with gentle pressure to the swell of his ass. His middle finger was wet, and Will realized it was his pre-come just as the tip pushed into him. He grunted and bowed his head, making fists in Joe's sheets as he pushed back. Joe retreated, and Will's eyes opened wide.

His lips were parted in a gasp as he saw Joe in his periphery, watched him withdrew a box of condoms and a small white container of lube. A wrapper was torn, a top was clicked open. Will closed his eyes and spread his legs wider, just a bit, and waited. Joe's weight made the mattress sag, and he put his hands on Will's hips. He pressed forward, his erection rubbing against the crack of his ass. Joe ran his hands up under Will's arms, and bent down to kiss the back of his neck. Will arched his back, practically sitting in Joe's lap, and reached out to grab Joe's hip.

The lube was cold as it trickled down the cleft in Will's ass, and Joe massaged it with the flat of his thumb. When he pressed against Will's anus, Will pressed back until it was inside of him. He sucked in a breath and shuddered, and Joe moved his hand around to Will's chest. He pinched Will's nipple, and Will bared his teeth in a feral expression.

"Tell me."

"Fuck me," Will grunted.

Joe's hand withdrew, and the rubber-protected tip of his cock took its place. Joe pushed inside of him and Will turned to bite his own arm. Joe's other hand slid down over Will's stomach, stroking the flat plane of it until he reached Will's painfully hard cock. Joe stroked as he pushed, and Will pushed back as Joe's hands slid over him. The palm was slick from lube, and it spread over his shaft and the bell-shaped head with ease. When he reached the base, he moved his hand down to toy with Will's scrotum as Will relaxed to let him deeper.

"Don't come on my sheets..."

Will let go of the bedding and gripped his own cock around the base, holding off his own orgasm as Joe moved easily in and out of him. "Hurry," Will said.

"I'm close. Just... don't move..." Joe grunted and his hand tightened around Will's cock. Will felt moments from orgasm, like the lightest touch would make him explode. He forced himself to hold off, his cock throbbing beyond where he was squeezing it. Joe pulled out, and Will heard the condom being torn away. Joe panted like an animal, and Will twisted over to watch him stroke himself to orgasm.

The first rope landed in a wide arc across Will's abdomen, and he watched as the second appeared at the slit of his cock. Will sat up and closed his lips around the head just as it spilled free, and he swept his tongue over the head to make sure he didn't miss a drop. Joe reached down and touched Will's cock, and Will let go. He knew that his orgasm filled Joe's palm and streaked across his fingers, and he felt like the reasoning center of his brain had shut down. He swallowed as Joe moved his hand, teasing Will's cock until the last of it was spilled.

Will pulled back, wiping the back of his dry hand over his mouth as he moved toward the headboard. Joe, his hand covered with come and his cock swinging and wet, left the bed to retrieve a towel. He cleaned it away, swaddled his cock to clean it with a few quick swipes, and then tossed it to Will.

Will gave himself a perfunctory wipe and left the towel draped across his lap.

"Do you want to stay here tonight?" Joe still sounded breathless.

Will checked the clock. "Yeah, if it's not too much trouble."

Joe shook his head and stared down at his body, unashamed of his nudity. "Shower is down the hall."

"I remember. Thanks."

Neither of them made a move toward the shower. After ten minutes of silence, Will began to drift off. Sometime in the night he woke, the bedside lamp still on, and found himself spooning Joe. He kissed Joe's neck cautiously, and Joe stirred. He reached into the nightstand and handed Will a condom and a bottle of lubrication. Neither of them were fully awake, but Will fumbled his way into the rubber and applied the lube by slowly rolling two fingers in circles over Joe's opening. He finally shifted and exchanged his fingers for his cock. Joe pushed back, and they fucked lazily until Will came.

The next time he woke, it was morning. Joe was gone. Will found his discarded boxer shorts and pulled them on before he explored the apartment. Joe always had some kind of breakfast food on hand; the question was whether it would be frosted, in flake form, or some kind of microwave egg travesty.

To put off the discovery as long as possible, Will pushed open the curtains and looked out over the view of Old City. To his surprise, he could see the spires and parapets of the Sanctuary rising over the warehouses. He put his hands against the window frame on either side of the glass and thought about where his life had gone in the past three years.

Magnus had told him that he was leaving his old life behind by joining the Sanctuary. For the most part, she was absolutely right. But standing here in Joe Kavanaugh's apartment, still sore from their night together, he knew that in other ways she couldn't have been more wrong. There were some things in his old life that were far too big and too complicated to ever completely leave them behind.

He closed the curtains and went to take a shower before he got dressed and drove back across town to a world that now seemed impossibly outlandish.


End file.
